Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center

The goal of the technical support for China's ATDCs project is to build the Mozambican ATDC capacity to pilot and scale technologies in prioritized value chains while also taking initial steps to establish the ATDCs as technology hubs.

Longer term, the ATDCs will have the potential to become national-level clearinghouses for programs such as the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) initiative. Under TAAT, the AfDB aims to leverage technology to eliminate extreme poverty, end hunger and malnutrition, achieve food sufficiency, and turn Africa into a net food exporter.

The project includes two components, one focusing on ATDC capacity building and the other on technology transfer. Guided by ATDC management and staff, the project’s first component will seek to strengthen staff capacity and organizational functions by leveraging a light-touch change management approach. Under the first component, among other interventions, TechnoServe will support the development of a communications strategy for the Mozambique ATDC, to improve ATDC visibility and establish itself as a technology transfer center of excellence. The second component aims to enhance the ATDC’s capacity to identify, demonstrate, and pilot transformative technologies in key value chains and ultimately partner with entities that have the incentive and resources to scale-up these proven technologies over the long term. By the end of the project, the target is for the ATDCs to have the capacity and credibility to implement a four-step technology transfer process — the ATDC Technology Transfer Model (TTM) — that is relevant for any agricultural value chain and can be replicable in other countries with appropriate adaptations based on the recipient country context and the respective ATDC leadership structure.